Message After Message
A DBZ Oneshot Fanfic

A/N: Originally posted on the dbzhell tumblr on January 23, 2016 as part of a request prompt. Android 17 is a "Cool Uncle", I refuse to think otherwise. Now if only he'd show up in Super...

Prompt: Message (Krillin & Android 18)

"I don't think your brother realizes I'm with you right now."

18 sent a glance towards Krillin before returning her attention to the mirror she stood in front of, critically eying the dress she had held up to her body. "Why would you think that?" she asked as she shook her head and hung the dress back up on the rack. "Where else would you be?"

Krillin sighed as he followed his wife towards the next section of clothing, lazily pushing the cart through the narrow pathways while looking down at his cell phone. "I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be sending me these pictures if he thought you'd be able to see them." He cringed as his phone buzzed with a new message. A quick swipe across the screen and soon the short fighter found himself looking at a picture of his daughter being precariously balanced on her uncle's knees, her face showing nothing but joy as her arms stretched out to graze the clouds around her.

"My brother may be reckless," 18 began as she sorted through a stack of jeans, "but he's not stupid. He knows that whatever he shows you would eventually come back to me. Or, at least, he should." She smirked as she finally found the size she had been searching for and quickly tossed the jeans into the cart. Her eyes lingered on her husband, who was staring hard at his phone with his eyebrows furrowed, and she made the last second decision to snatch it from his grasp. She ignored his indignant "Hey!" as she quickly scrolled through the various pictures. "What is he doing?"

Krillin huffed and crossed his arms, resting them on the cart's handle as he leaned forward. "Apparently, Marron asked him to take her flying. Uncle 17 knows all the cool tricks." He rolled his eyes, his heavy sarcastic tone bringing out a small smile on his wife's lips.

The smile quickly gave way for a frown as her eyes fell on the most recent picture. She cocked an eyebrow as another message came in, containing a photo of Marron dangling high above a skyscraper, laughing and smiling brightly, with 17's face peaking in on the left side of the picture, a devious smirk on his face. "He should know that I'll see these and that if anything happens to Marron I'll kill him." She grunted as she closed the picture and tossed the phone back to Krillin, who caught it with ease. "Why is he sending them?"

Her husband shrugged as he reopened the app to look at the most recent text. "To get a rise out of me, probably. Maybe you as well." With a sigh, Krillin shut the app and pocketed his phone, meeting 18's gaze briefly before the two of them began to maneuver to a different section of the store. "Honestly, the fact that he knows you'll kill him is why I'm not too concerned. Plus, the way he spoils her, I doubt he'd let anything happen to our little girl."

18 gave a slight hum in agreement as she wandered through the isles. "True. I have little doubt that 17 would protect Marron… But that doesn't mean that I agree with what he's doing." She ran a hand through a rack of shirts before suddenly spinning around to face Krillin again, a somewhat sinister smirk lighting her features as she leaned over the cart in order to be eye level with her husband. "We should get him back."

He stared at her for a moment, a blank look on his face as he processed her words. "Get him back?" he repeated, bemused, before grinning wildly and laughing a little. "I mean, sure! I'm for it. But…how?"

18 frowned, pushing herself away from the basket with a huff. "I don't know how yet," she grumbled as she went back to looking at the nearby shirts. "But I'll think of something. Trust me."

Krillin chuckled and nodded. "Oh, believe me, I trust you. You're the best at revenge schemes." He then let out a loud groan as his phone buzzed again.